1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides photosensitive image forming materials obtainable at low cost which have various excellent properties such as high light-blocking property, high resolving power and stability with the passage of time, whereby image forming proceesing is shortened. Particularly, the invention relates to photosensitive image forming materials capable of providing images without a metallic luster. Particularly, the present invention relates to photosensitive image forming materials capable of obtaining a "see-through image" which substantially completely block radiation of a 300 to 500 nm wavelength but which pass any substantial red light and to a process for forming such a see-through image by a one bath development etching or by the two steps of development and etching.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An image forming process involving using a photosensitive image forming material comprising a photosensitive resin composition layer on a base and various thin metal layers between the base and the photosensitive resin composition layer which comprises imagewise exposing the photosensitive resin composition layer to light, developing and thereafter etching the thin metal layers is known.
Further, an image forming process using a photosensitive image forming material comprising a photosentitive resin composition layer on a base and a thin metal layer (such as aluminum or tellurium) between the base and the photosensitive resin composition layer which comprises imagewise exposing to light, developing and etching in one bath with using an aqueous alkaline solution to shorten processing is described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 65927/73 (the term "OPI" as used herein refers to a "published unexamined Japanese patent application"), 65928/73, 139720/75 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,084), 131625/76 (British Pat. No. 1,514,420), 99811/77, 99814/77, 99102/77, 109926/77 (British Pat. No. 1,546,739) and 99810/77 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,391).
These prior art processes yield excellent images having high light-blocking property, high resolving power and good edge sharpness, but the see-through capability, a characteristic of the present invention, cannot be obtained because of the use of a metal layer per se. The formation of see-through images has been desired in the art, because see-through images are very useful in, for example, the graphic arts for setting position, etc.
Further, one bath development etching is desirable because toxic solvents are not used and the process of image formation can be shortened.